Most young stars learn to quickly cultivate an aura of untouchability, but that is not how ShaileneWoodley likes to operate. It's January on the Sundance red carpet for White Bird in a Blizzard.

The 22-year-old actress approaches a microphone-toting reporter with
uncommon familiarity, slipping her hands under his semi-raised arms and
giving him a robust squeeze. At first I think she must know the
journalist, perhaps one of her red-carpet favorites. Then I realize
she's hugging every single person before they interview her. They are
all strangers. Right before the White Bird premiere, Sundance festival director JohnCooper
stops by backstage to congratulate Woodley. He goes in for the
handshake, but she outmaneuvers him with a low body hug. He seems
genuinely startled.

Later, after I receive my first of many Woodley hugs, I ask her about
this habit. After all, most stars on the red carpet interact with
reporters the way they endure a customs official with body language that
says, "I will answer your questions carefully and pretend to like you,
but this is about as much fun for me as picking gum off the bottom of my
Louboutins."

By contrast, Woodley sees the press gantlet as an
opportunity to transcend surface-level chitchat. She explains: "We've
got a set amount of time in our lives, you know. You might as well make
every conversation count. So that's like the hug. It's kind of like,
'Hey, I'm real. You're real. Let's connect.' "

Most young stars learn to quickly cultivate an aura of untouchability, but that is not how ShaileneWoodley likes to operate. It's January on the Sundance red carpet for White Bird in a Blizzard.
The 22-year-old actress approaches a microphone-toting reporter with
uncommon familiarity, slipping her hands under his semi-raised arms and
giving him a robust squeeze. At first I think she must know the
journalist, perhaps one of her red-carpet favorites. Then I realize
she's hugging every single person before they interview her. They are
all strangers.
Right before the White Bird premiere, Sundance festival director JohnCooper
stops by backstage to congratulate Woodley. He goes in for the
handshake, but she outmaneuvers him with a low body hug. He seems
genuinely startled.

Later, after I receive my first of many Woodley hugs, I ask her about
this habit. After all, most stars on the red carpet interact with
reporters the way they endure a customs official with body language that
says, "I will answer your questions carefully and pretend to like you,
but this is about as much fun for me as picking gum off the bottom of my
Louboutins." By contrast, Woodley sees the press gantlet as an
opportunity to transcend surface-level chitchat. She explains: "We've
got a set amount of time in our lives, you know. You might as well make
every conversation count. So that's like the hug. It's kind of like,
'Hey, I'm real. You're real. Let's connect.' "

It's that unique accessibility -- both onscreen and off -- coupled
with raw acting talent that has made Woodley one of the most hyped
starlets since JenniferLawrence prepared to launch The Hunger Games franchise two years ago. Like Lawrence, Woodley may soon boast a YA blockbuster franchise of her own with Divergent, which Lionsgate opens March 21. Early tracking is solid, indicating an opening weekend as high as $65 million. This summer's The Fault in Our Stars,
another big book adaptation in which she stars, already is attracting
fervent fan interest and appears poised for counterprogramming hit
status.

In an industry that has failed to groom reliable movie stars the way
it did a generation ago, Woodley's big moment comes targeted with very
high hopes. With the exception of Lawrence and ChanningTatum, most of Hollywood's bankable stars -- RobertDowneyJr., SandraBullock, AdamSandler, Leonardo DiCaprio
-- are all in or approaching middle age, and two of the most promising
young actors with the highest earning potential of the past decade, LindsayLohan and ShiaLaBeouf, torpedoed their own careers.

But as big as the opportunity is for Woodley, it also sets her up for a perilous fall and/or backlash if Divergent fails to deliver. Then she's not Jennifer Lawrence; she's LilyCollins.

In fall 2012, Lionsgate was looking for someone with the same qualities as Lawrence and its Twilight heroine, KristenStewart, to carry the $85 million Divergent. The movie is based on Veronica Roth's
wildly popular trilogy that is set in a dystopic future where society
has been carved into five factions. Woodley, who will be paid $250,000
to $500,000 for the first installment, according to sources, was the
studio's first and only choice thanks mostly to her breakout performance
in AlexanderPayne's 2011 drama, The Descendants. At that time, she was particularly in demand after her name had surfaced as ELJames' first choice to star in Fifty Shades of Grey. She also was being hotly pursued for Amazing Spider-Man 2, and she had a fan base due to a five-season stint on ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Erik Feig, Lionsgate motion picture group co-president, says the Divergent male lead, which eventually went to TheoJames, was the much harder call.

Woodley's Secret Life experience was decidedly mixed.
Although it established her in the business, the show's melodramatic
style made her a running punch line on the E! clip show The Soup, and the contract that kept her tethered to it made her leery of committing to a multipart movie franchise.
"Having come off a TV show, I was kind of in the place where I was
like, 'I'm never signing a contract for more than one movie,' because
once you do sign a contract, legally, you're liable," she says. "[Even]
if you don't find something creatively stimulating anymore, you've still
got to do it legally."

Feig enlisted Lawrence -- an admitted Secret Life geek -- to
reach out to Woodley and sell her on the merits of a YA franchise. In a
series of emails, says Woodley, Lawrence "said: 'You must do it. You
will not regret it for a second. Yes, there are some hard things, but
there are so many beautiful things that will come from an opportunity
like this.' "

"I don't know what happened," recalls Feig, "but I do know that after that interaction, Shailene said: 'OK, now I'll make Divergent. Let's talk.' "

Still, handing the keys of a big-budget franchise to an unproven star
is a nerve-racking proposition. "Anybody in this business who says
they're not nervous [about their lead casting choice] is taking some
medication that I should find out about," says RobFriedman,
co-chair of Lionsgate's motion picture group. "But once we met her and
saw her presence and the way she carried herself and knowledge for the
material and her passion for the character, we were sold."

Despite the appearance of overnight success, Woodley worked for 17
years to reach this moment. The native Angeleno, who has a younger
brother, Tanner, began working at age 5 in commercials, appearing in
more than 40 TV spots, including ads for Leapfrog, Hertz and a Honda
minivan. Her parents -- a middle-school counselor mother and a former
elementary-school principal father who now is a family therapist --
happily drove her to auditions but insisted that her education stay on
track. Woodley was a 4.0 student who took AP classes at Simi Valley High
School but interestingly avoided the drama club because "acting was
such a big part of my life outside of high school, and I wanted to
really dedicate high school to other things that I was passionate
about." Instead, the "choir nerd" sang alto for four years, even as she
starred on Secret Life.

Along the way, she had her share of disappointments, like losing out to DakotaFanning for the drama I Am Sam
at age 9. Recalls Woodley: "My dad pulled me aside, and he said: 'Shai,
what are you doing? You have so much anger, and you're feeling so let
down by the fact that you didn't book [this]. I want you to close your
eyes right now and picture this Dakota girl, and I want you to send her
so much love and so much light because one day you're going to book
something that you really want, and you're not going to want all of the
girls around you that you competed against to feel anger against you.
You're going to want them to support you on your journey. And so it's
your turn right now to support Dakota on her journey.' And so I did
that."

As her father predicted, years later Woodley seized a role she chased for months with Descendants.
After reading for the casting director, Woodley was on the "don't call
back" list ("I wanted the role too intensely," she surmises). But she
managed to get a second read and wowed Payne. "She is that truly unique
actress who can make even bad dialogue sound good," says Payne. Her
ultimate performance opened eyes in the industry, earning an Independent
Spirit Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
"She wept underwater -- take after take," marvels Payne. "That was something to see."

The day after the White Bird in a Blizzard premiere, Woodley
is curled up on a couch at the Stella Artois lounge in Park City. With
her long wavy cheerleader hair shorn for her role as a cancer-stricken
teen in Fault in Our Stars (out June 6) she has tucked what
remains under a black knit cap. Her style purposely is understated and
utilitarian. "Kitson? Yeah, that'll never happen. I exclusively buy used
clothes," she says, referring to the Robertson Boulevard boutique
favored by attention-starved "stars." "I'm going to be a citizen of this
planet, and I'm going to do my responsibility and live in stride with
nature instead of constantly fighting against her."
Woodley's mandate to live in harmony with the Earth extends beyond
her wardrobe. She totes around a glass Mason jar for drinking water
because she doesn't want to expose herself or the planet to the
estrogen-like chemicals used in plastics. She has no current home ("I'm
doing the vagabond lifestyle for a bit," she says), but when in Los
Angeles, she lugs 5-gallon carboys up in the mountains to capture her
own drinking water. She and her two best friends -- a long-haired
brunette and a young man who looks like he just stumbled out of a Phish
concert, her constant Sundance companions whom she declines to identify
-- forage for strange fruits in whatever city they visit.

Which is not to say she hasn't made a few good friends in the business. When LauraDern was shooting the upcoming tearjerker Fault in Our Stars
opposite Woodley, the pair quickly bonded over their shared experience
as former child actors with fierce hands-on mothers. Dern recalls one of
their many dinners near the Pittsburgh shoot and delivers a spot-on
Woodley impression.

"Shailene's like, 'Hey, wow!' Big open smile," says Dern. " 'God,
great, I looked at your menu. It's so awesome. Hey, what kind of oil do
you guys cook in? Oh, you do? Hmm, you never use beef fat from
sustainable farms where it's grass-fed? Oh wow, you guys are open to
that? Cool. Can we have a tour of your kitchen?' "

The next thing Dern remembers is touring a meat locker in the
restaurant's basement, discussing how to cut the cattle in the most
honorable way and how to use every part of the animal. "People might
think they're saving the planet, taking half steps," says Dern.
"Shailene is taking it to such a different level."

Dern says the two actresses have become so close that she considers
Woodley a member of her family. "There are times when I have called my
house when out of town and found out that Shailene's over here making
dinner with my children," she says.

For all her down-to-earthness, Woodley doesn't object to glamming up
for the red carpet ("I realized this garment is going to be used over
and over and over again," she says. "If I was to show up wearing my
five-toe shoes, my Melodia organic leggings and some hippie top, no one
is going to take me seriously, and I probably would not be doing this
interview right now for The Hollywood Reporter. When I go on a
red carpet, I'm Shailene, but I'm also Shailene representing a movie.
I'm there for my boss, for my employer, so part of that comes with
wearing the uniform"). Although she has her limits. She won't wear fur
or diamonds.

For her Sundance premiere, she wore minimal makeup and a
simple black silk shirt, black slacks (she later changed into jeans for
the afterparty) and a Navajo pendant. As for the pendant's significance,
she explains: "It's my way of just recognizing spirit -- as hippie as
that may sound -- in an industry where sometimes materialism is the main
focus, it's kind of my way of grounding and remembering what's
important to me." I ask if she adheres to a particular religion. "My
religion is the Earth, man," she answers. "I believe in trees."

Gone now are the squeaky-clean trappings of being an ABC Family star. Her role in White Bird in a Blizzard,
a 1980s-set indie film about a teenager whose life becomes unmoored
when her mother disappears, called for the type of nudity that can make
audiences uncomfortable -- which harks back to the early career choices
of KateWinslet, who famously peed on herself in a full-frontal shot in JaneCampion's Holy Smoke. In White Bird, Woodley portrays a 17-year-old who seduces a 40-something cop played by ThomasJane.
The scenes are disturbing because of the age difference and the power
dynamic. In the film, she also engages in onscreen sex with a more
age-appropriate ShilohFernandez, 29. She's willing to throw herself into these difficult scenes, she says, for the sake of authenticity.

"When somebody's doing a sex scene and they're wearing a bra and
underwear, that's not how it happens in real life," she says. "If I'm
going to say yes to a movie where this is necessary, then I'm going to
bring truth to that situation."

It's the type of risk-taking that distinguishes Woodley from Lawrence. White Bird producer AlixMadigan, who also worked with Lawrence as the producer of Winter's Bone, notes the commonalities and the differences between the actresses.

"Their career trajectories are similar in the sense of doing
independent films and then going on to the YA franchise," says Madigan.
"I think Shailene certainly has the talent and the charisma and the
inherent likability to follow in Jennifer's footsteps. But honestly, I
can't see Jennifer doing a role like White Bird."

But is the film too avant-garde, perhaps offering a glimpse into
Woodley's future choices? There's no distributor on board yet, but
sources say Magnolia, the company that will release Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac in the U.S., is negotiating to pick up White Bird.
Although poised to be the next Lawrence, could Woodley instead be the
next LaBeouf? In the span of a few short years, the actor morphed from
leading one of the highest-earning franchises of all time with Transformers to announcing that he was done making studio fare and instead would put his efforts into films like Nymphomaniac. Woodley, too, has made some head-scratching moves, like turning down the chance to again star opposite her Descendants co-star GeorgeClooney in what seems a likely hit in Disney's sci-fi pic Tomorrowland.

Although Woodley's tastes might run indie, the actress, who is locked in for three Divergent
sequels, won't likely abandon the studio system and begin sporting a
paper bag over her head like LaBeouf. The most popular descriptor used
for her is "grounded" (followed closely by "old soul" and "authentic").
In fact, Divergent director Neil Burger bristled at the idea that Woodley somehow deviates from what is expected of an actress on the cusp of superstardom.

"It's funny because Divergent asks those questions, 'What if
you're a little different in a society where everybody's the same?' "
he says. "Shailene is like that too, but not because she's flaky. She's
as solid as a person can be, and she's incredibly present as an actor."

Fault in Our Stars producer Wyck Godfrey, who also produced all of the Twilight movies,
echoed that sentiment, insisting that Woodley's edgy leanings should be
celebrated, not second-guessed, in a business obsessed with box-office
grosses. "She's always going to be drawn to characters that feel real
and interesting to her, and she's not going to be driven by, 'Oh, this
could be a huge franchise,' " he says. "Regardless, she's going to be
the first Shailene more so than the next anyone else."

Back at Sundance-- her fourth annual trek via car with her two
friends -- Woodley eschews the skiing, snowboarding and late-night
partying that one might expect from a 22-year-old. She hits the White Bird afterparty
at Rock & Reilly's, where she dances suggestively with her two
besties and mugs for lots of selfies. Otherwise, she's lying low in Park
City.

"Sundance is reserved for cozy times," she says. "It's more about
snuggling up in front of the fireplace and having a nice glass of wine
with your buddies and then seeing a movie." I begin to get the
impression that she might be romantically involved with her two friends,
whom she says she met six years ago. Then again, maybe they simply
share a passion for fruit-foraging and Wasatch Mountain road trips.

"That's hilarious," she says when asked about the pair. "No, those are
my best friends." She won't elaborate on her love life. The best she
offers is a vague assessment of romance or friendship (I'm not sure
which). "I fall in love with human beings based on who they are, not
based on what they do or what sex they are," she says.

MilesTeller, who starred opposite Woodley in the coming-of-age teen drama The Spectacular Now and Divergent
and who has been romantically linked to the actress in the past,
further confuses the matter. "I would say we have like a sibling
relationship but with moments of sexual tension," he jokes.

Whatever Woodley does next, she vows not to rush into it. "I made
five movies in the past year and two months and finished a TV show
during that time," she explains. "The second your boss or somebody whom
you really respect comes to you and says, 'I can't wait to see what you
do next,' there instantly becomes this new pressure of, 'Wow, am I
creating art for myself or am I suddenly creating art for other people?'
"

With nothing lined up beyond the Divergent sequel Insurgent, which likely shoots in the summer, Woodley says she is content to spend her days reading books (PattiSmith's Just Kids and Anais Nin's Henry and June were recent favorites) and traveling. She just trekked to Costa Rica by herself before embarking on the Divergent tour.

For now, she's letting her mind wander and enjoying the freedom that
comes with being a sought-after young star. There's no telling what her
future holds -- maybe even something outside of acting.

"I might open a restaurant, and it's going to be like restaurant in
the morning, dance club at night," says the self-described omnivore.
"Who knows?

Behind the Scenes Video:

How to get Shailene's cover look:

Veronica Roth:

"It's been a whirlwind," says Divergent author VeronicaRoth of her four-year journey from Northwestern University undergraduate to international best-selling novelist. The trilogy -- Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant
-- has sold more than 11 million copies in the U.S. Summit snapped up
film rights before the first book had even hit the shelves in April
2011. "It was pretty shocking," says the writer. "You want to do what
with this book? You don't even know how it's going to do!"

Born in New York but raised in Hong Kong, Germany and suburban Chicago, Roth was a 21-year-old college senior when she wrote Divergent
-- about a teen living in a futuristic society where people are divided
based on values such as bravery, honesty and empathy -- as a way of
avoiding classes. Four days after her agent sent out it out, she had a
book deal with HarperCollins that she celebrated by jumping into a tub
filled with 42 bags of mini-marshmallows. Now 25, the 6-foot-tall author
lives in Chicago with husband NelsonFitch, a photographer.

Roth says she's adopted a hands-off approach to the movie. "It's a
little hard for an author to hand over a book to be adapted, but I've
learned that the second the book comes out, it stops belonging to you,
it belongs to the readers."

She did, however, visit the set of Divergent nearly every
week during shooting since it was only 20 minutes from her home. "They
were very welcoming," says Roth. "They always had fruit roll-ups for me.
Sometimes, if they knew I was coming, they'd put a bowl of them in the
video village area."
The books' subject matter (dystopian society, young woman fighting
for survival) and the massive fervor surrounding the upcoming films has
led to plenty of comparisons to YA hits of years past, including The Hunger Games, Twilight and Harry Potter. Roth says she hopes that her films can be treated separately. "The Hunger Games
did something truly remarkable. That release was insane and not what
anyone expected. So I don't really think that it's bound to happen
again."

Unlike Hunger Games novelist Suzanne Collins,
Roth has been relatively involved in the publicity push leading up to
the release of the film. She attended Comic-Con, has done plenty of
interviews and will participate in the press junkets. But Collins says
that had more to do with the fact that she was also doing press for the
final book, Allegiant, which was released on Oct. 22 and sold 455,000 copies on its first day -- a new record for HarperCollins.

She says she hasn't had any conversations with the producers about breaking the final book into two films, a la Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games.
"Even though they're making these plans," she says, "I'm still holding
myself in that place of like, 'Let's just see how this goes, guys.' "
At this point, Roth is ready to leave the Divergent world behind after a spinoff collection of short stories from Four's (played by Theo James in the film) perspective comes out in July. "I'll probably take a little break to just enjoy what's happening around me."

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